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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes September PC meetingMinutes September PC meeting: Item 16: A-342 Planning Commission Action September 8, 2022 Walter Malone, Planning Staff, reviewed the Analysis section of the Staff Report with the Commission. Mr. Harrison Kemp, applicant, indicated he had nothing of substance to add to the staff presentation. He would come back and respond after the opposition had spoken. Mr. David Witte, president of Plantation Acres, here to represent Plantation Acres, Sienna Lakes and Crystal Valley Neighborhoods presented a PowerPoint. Mr. Witte indicated that prior to the subdivision submission the neighborhoods had met with the applicant. At that time the owner indicated they had met the requirements and he was going to pursue his application as is. The neighborhoods were asking for a development similar to the subdivisions already in the vicinity. The neighborhoods are not against development, but we should not settle for just meeting the minimum requirements. Almost 100 percent of the residents of the surround neighborhoods oppose the proposed development. The annexation should be stopped to re-design the subdivision. Mr. Witte showed a slide of the area. The site is forested, as is the land to the north and east. The Plantation acres subdivision is to the west. When the subdivision case was before the Commission the attorney shut-down discussion based on the ‘Richardson Case’. Mr. Witte read a section from the ruling. He stated that this will forever change the area. It creates an enclave of city surrounded by Pulaski County. He discussed the Plantation Acres subdivision to the west and the differences it would have from the new development. He restated the concern about only meeting the minimums. This will have a negative impact on the values of the existing homes in the area. He showed a graphic of the two subdivisions. They are incompatible. The proposed subdivision would destroy the peace and beauty of Plantation Acres. He next showed a graphic for Sienna Lakes and talked about the lot sizes and values. The proposed subdivision is not compatible with Sienna Lakes. Mr. Witte read a quote from Rex Nelson on infill development versus westward development. He finished with stating this would create a perfect storm to harm the area. Ms. Melody Parsley, resident on the south side of Crystal Valley Road, continued the presentation. She is concerned about the health issues with all the water wells in the area. There are seven wells adjacent to the development. Will there be sediment in the wells? Will input into the aquafer be impacted? There will be massive land alterations as well as vegetation removal. This will cause sedimentation and flooding concerns. Ms. Parsley showed the floodplain maps for Haw Creek. This is the water source for her cattle and flows into the Eagle Hill golf course and on to Fourche Creek. She talked about flooding over Crystal Valley Road. The vegetation removal and increase in paved surfaces will have an impact – there has been no flood study. She shared a tweet from Pulaski County on Crystal Valley and Colonel Miller Roads being closed due to flooding in 2019. There needs to be a flood and environmental impact review on the water wells. Mr. Witte took back over the presentation. He stated there have not been any flood or traffic studies. He noted the two right turns along Crystal Valley Road to the east. This is the path everyone will have to take including school buses and trucks as well as residents both current and future. He shared with the Commission the Neighborhood Plan for the area, reading the vision statement to preserve the green and naturally barriers. The neighborhoods concerns need to be addressed before development -respect the community health and safety concerns; prevent city enclave surrounded by County, developer work with community on issues of concern; protect property and home values. Mr. Kemp, applicant, reminded the Commission that the issue is annexation not the density or type of development. The Commission has already approved the subdivision. The issues about the subdivision should not be a consideration on annexation. This includes flooding or traffic issues. They are not relevant for an annexation application. He did ask Mr. Joe White, Engineer, to address some of the flooding and engineering questions. Joe White, Joe White and Associates, stated that the approved subdivision meet all the regulations and each lot has a minimum 50-foot frontage. There are green areas within the proposed subdivision which results in a density of 3.5 units per acre. The developer even provided a buffer requested by a neighborhood in the Plantation Acres subdivision. Mr. White indicated that this would not be much different from the comparison of Chenal Downs and Fletcher Valley Subdivision on Kanis Road. The proposed subdivision will be ‘starter’ homes. Not everyone can afford to live in a subdivision like Plantation Acres or Sienna Lakes. There is no Central Arkansas Water (CAW) infrastructure in the area. Working with CAW the developer will extend service lines from the south. CAW plans to connect this to the Sienna Lake area and improve their service. Water Reclamation has an oversized 10-in sewer line in Haw Creek to the south. The developer will extend this to the north and continue it to the west where others may be able to connect in the future. As for stormwater, the proposed subdivision will have at least two detention areas (one in the southeast corner and one more central). He discussed Haw creek and its location relative to the development. Mr. White indicated that there are other areas in Little Rock with subdivisions of various densities. This makes a more diversified area. The request is not an enclave it is just an irregular configuration. This is part of natural growth Commissioner Brook asked the opposition, if not this then what? Mr. Witte stated they wanted something that more closely reflected their community – density, noise creation, light. That the lot sizes needed to be increased to make the proposed area look more like the surround areas. Commissioner Haynes stated there are similar development patterns in the city. The subdivision issue has already been dealt with. This is just progress. Sherri Latimer, City Attorney, discussed the Richardson cases and noted that it was about subdivision cases not annexations. The ruling only states that if one follows the subdivision regulations then the plat should be approved. A motion was made to approve that annexation request. By a vote of 7 for, 1 against, 2 absent and 1 vacancy the motion was approved.